Be Yourself
by Boba Addict
Summary: Fujisaki Nagihiko is your average boy with the family tradition of dancing, and is nothing compared to his much more popular twin sister. But it all changes once Mashiro Rima- the beautiful new transfer student -comes into his life. AU -RIMAHIKO-
1. Prologue

**Okay, so this is going to be my first time writing an AU story…so I'm not exactly sure how this will turn out. ^^;**

**Disclaimer: Really? You think that Peach-Pit would actually spend time writing fanfics on a website made for fans?**

Nagihiko's mother clapped her hands. "Nagihiko, that is enough."

Nagihiko stopped and sighed. Why couldn't he perfect the dance he was supposed to learn? He braced himself for the lecture that was coming.

"Nagihiko, you must learn to get this move right. It's important for the sake of our family tradition. Look at your sister; she's so elegant. Why can't you be like her? You're acting as if you are a disgrace to the family. You need to learn sooner or later, or else what is going to happen to our reputation as the Fujisaki family? We will practice again tomorrow, and by then, your dance moves must be better." And with that, Nagihiko's mother left the dancing room.

Nagihiko went up into his bedroom, and practically threw himself onto his bed. _Another one of those days_, he thought to himself. It was the same routine over and over again: He would do his best at his dancing, and then he would get told by his mother and compared to his oh-so-perfect twin sister, Nadeshiko. He thought back to what his mother said. _Why can't you be like her?_ Nagihiko didn't know the answer, although he felt like he should've.

His thoughts were interrupted when his phone rang. He answered it, "Hello?"

"Hey, Nagihiko. It's me."

"Oh…Nadeshiko. Hi. Why'd you call me?"

"Oh, so I can't call my dear brother out of love just for the heck of it?" Nadeshiko asked playfully, feigning hurt.

"…Sorry."

"Don't mention it. So what's wrong?"

"…Nothing."

"Okay, first of all, you are horrible at acting at times like these. Second, I'm your twin sister. I'm supposed to know what you're feeling."

"No, it's…it's stupid anyway. It's nothing important."

There was silence on the phone for a while, but Nadeshiko said with a sigh, "Alright, even though I think that's not the situation at all, I'll stop bugging you. Moving on from that, how's it going?"

"Good, I guess. How's it going in Europe?"

* * *

><p>When walking to school, Nagihiko felt confused, looking down at the ground. His mind was still on what his mother said. <em>Why am I even so bothered by this? It was just another one of her lectures, so how come I care about this so much? It's not like I'm supposed to…<em>

He glanced up to notice that he had already arrived at the school entrance, and at that instant, the bell rung. Before he had time to react, a small girl with curly blonde hair suddenly rushed past him, probably to avoid being late. He stared for a second before shrugging it off, assuming it was just a frantic underclassman.

Once he went inside the classroom, he was greeted with a very rude welcome.

"Hey, look! It's the Fujisaki loser! Hey, gay boy, how's your dancing going? Or are you letting your twin sister do the job for you?" Kirishima Fuyuki and his group of goons laughed.

Nagihiko shot all of them a menacing glare and walked past them, simply saying, "I don't have time to answer to idiots like you, Kirishima. You're just wasting your time if you're just standing here teasing me."

Kirishima shot Nagihiko a glare back. "Look Fujisaki, just to let you know, you're a total moron if you think I'm just going to back off like this. After all, you're just a gay crossdresser."

"At least I have a life, unlike someone who finds so much joy in bullying others," Nagihiko hissed.

Kirishima raised one eyebrow in mock amusement. "So trying and failing to dance is considered a life?"

Nagihiko was on his last nerve, and was just about ready to sock Kirishima in the face, if it wasn't for the teacher coming in.

"Alright class, take your seats, take your seats!"

When Nagihiko sat down, he could still feel Kirishima's death glare from the back of the room burning a hole into his back. He mentally rolled his eyes.

"Okay, this is a bit of a unexpected situation, but we are having a new student today," the teacher announced.

Nagihiko stared. A transfer student was coming? How come nobody had heard about it yet? He heard many excited whispers around the room.

"You may come in now," the teacher called, facing the door.

The door opened, and in walked the new student. Nagihiko's eyes widened. The transfer student was the girl who had hurried past him earlier that morning. She quietly walked in, taking small steps, stopping right in front of the teacher's desk. She looked at the rest of the class with an emotionless face.

"Class, this is Mashiro Rima-san. I hope some of you will make good friends with her."

**Okay… That was a pretty short, but hey, it's only just the prologue. **

**R & R!**


	2. The Plan

**You must all hate me. I already had this written up, but I didn't even type it up until now. ._. But I hope you enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Shugo Chara. Sadly.**

Nagihiko stared at her, the whole class silent.

The teacher was the only one who didn't have their tongue tied. "Now, Mashiro-san, there's an empty seat next to Fujisaki-kun. Fujisaki-kun, raise your hand and show Mashiro-san where to sit."

Nagihiko slowly, with a tinge of hesitation, raised his hand, and pointed to the empty seat next to him. The new student simply stared at him for a minute, before quietly strolling to her seat, and sitting down without saying a word.

* * *

><p>After school, Nagihiko and Hotori Tadase, one of his best friends, were conversing while walking home.<p>

"…and I have so much homework tonight. Why did Yamada-sensei have to give us that huge project to do?" Tadase sighed, while kicking a small pebble along the road.

Nagihiko didn't respond, his mind still centered on Mashiro Rima. Tadase looked at him, wondering why he was being so quiet, and saw him staring at his shoes while walking, looking troubled.

"Nagihiko?"

Again, Nagihiko didn't reply.

"Hello? Earth to Nagihiko?"

Nagihiko ignored him once more.

Tadase heaved a sigh of frustration and with a quick sudden movement, balled his hand up into a fist and hit Nagihiko square in the shoulder. And he wasn't exactly very gentle either.

Finally, Nagihiko snapped back into reality. "OW! Tadase! What was that for?" he exclaimed, while rubbing his pained shoulder.

Tadase merely shrugged. "Hey, I tried calling you, you wouldn't pay any attention, so what else was I supposed to do?"

"Ugh, sorry," Nagihiko muttered. "I was just…thinking."

"About?"

"…The new transfer student," Nagihiko hesitantly admitted, feeling embarrassed.

Tadase chuckled. "It turns out she's already caught the eye of many boys already. I overheard some of them, including Kirishima, talking about her throughout the day."

Nagihiko tensed at the mention of Kirishima momentarily, before regaining himself. "I wasn't thinking about her like that!" he said hurriedly, before Tadase could continue. "She just…gives off a cold vibe, that's all. It's like she's hiding something and making sure that no one figures it out."

Tadase shot a knowing glance at Nagihiko. "Ease up a little. You're always so edgy about everything. I admit, she is a little bit passive, but it could just be because she's unfamiliar with the school. Don't you remember the time when _I _transferred here? She'll warm up soon enough."

Nagihiko shook his head, insistent. "No…under that face, I sensed something else… She seemed…sad and miserable to me…" Nagihiko gradually trailed off once he saw Tadase smirking at him. "What?"

"If it really bothers you that much, then why don't you find out what's wrong? Only problem is, you got to get past those other boys first. I mean, they'd absolutely _hate _it if they see you with her-"

"TADASE!"

"What? I'm serious."

"No, you're not. I know what you meant there."

"It's not what you think!" Tadase tried to protest.

Nagihiko glared.

"…Okay, maybe it is," Tadase admitted with a sigh. "Seriously though, try finding out."

Nagihiko rolled his eyes. "And how am I supposed to do that? 'Hey, I think you're hiding something, so just tell me what's wrong'? Yeah, like that'll work."

"I was thinking more along the lines of becoming friends with her."

"Okay, that's possible, but there's a chance that she's still not going to open up. Becoming friends doesn't exactly mean that she'll tell me all her secrets, you know."

"She will, eventually, if you guys become close enough. You might even have to date her if you're that desperate-"

"Seriously? Stop making bad jokes about our relationship! I just met her today!"

"Fine, fine, I'll stop. Whatever, just do what we just talked about, and if it doesn't work, I'll help you come up with another plan," Tadase resolved.

"Right."

"And you never know, you might just end up falling in love-"

Tadase never had time to finish that sentence, because at that point, Nagihiko had started chasing him all the way back home at full speed, screaming his lungs out, "YOU SAID THAT YOU WOULD STOP!"

* * *

><p>Nagihiko, still slightly aggravated by Tadase's persistent teasing, arrived home, uttered an "I'm home," and stalked off to his room. When he opened the bedroom door, he found himself staring at the thing- or rather, person- sitting on his bed.<p>

Nadeshiko.

She looked up, having heard the sound of the creaky door, squealed at the sight of her twin, rushed over to him, and tackled him with a gigantic glomp.

"Hi, Nagi! I haven't seen you in forever!"

Nagihiko struggled to free himself from Nadeshiko's surprisingly strong grip. "I- I get it, Nadeshiko… Can you please…let go of me…" he managed to choke out.

Nadeshiko got up off of him and playfully glared. "So this is what I get after coming home from Europe after 3 months? YOU'RE A HORRIBLE BROTHER!"

Nagihiko winced at the loudness of her voice, although he decided to let it slide. "Why are you back anyway?"

Nadeshiko gave him a blank look. "Didn't I say yesterday on the phone that I was coming back today?"

"No!"

Nadeshiko flashed him a sheepish smile. "Oopsies… Teehee. So how was school today?" she asked, suddenly changing the subject.

"Not much, except for a new transfer student."

"Wait…curly blonde hair, short figure, name Mashiro Rima?"

Nagihiko stared at her. And stared at her. Until…

"HOW THE HELL DID YOU KNOW THAT?"

Nadeshiko held up her phone. "Tadase texted me."

Nagihiko snatched it, and scrolled down to see said text message.

**To: Nadeshiko Fujisaki  
><strong>**From: Tadase Hotori**

**Subject: New student**

**Hey Nadeshiko! I got your text saying that ur back! By the way, ur not going to believe this, but a new student transferred to our class today! Her name is Mashiro Rima, and to be honest, she looks pretty small to be an 8****th**** grader. o.o But she's got nice hair XD (Curly blonde locks FTW) Oh yeah, and I think ur brother has a crush on her ;D Don't tell him I said that! He'd never let me hear the end of it OTL**

Nagihiko twitched at the last part. Just how many times did he have to say it till Tadase got the point?

As if on cue, Nadeshiko grabbed for her phone and laughed nervously, suddenly remembering the last couple sentences of the text. "Hehe… Pretend you never saw that."

Nagihiko sighed and dropped the subject. "Well yeah, but Mashiro-san seems to be rather depressed. She puts up this cold outer character, and it bothers me. A lot."

Nadeshiko stared at him for a few seconds, before saying, "I think Tadase's on to something when he said you have a crush on her."

Nagihiko groaned loudly. "First Tadase, now you? Can't a guy worry about the opposite sex without having anybody getting suspicious?"

"Actually… No, you can't."

"THAT WAS RHETORICAL. Anyway, I'm thinking of finding out."

"Yeah, yeah, going to try to befriend her and stuff, right?"

"Again, how do you know all this?"

Nadeshiko held up her phone again. "Tadase sent me a second text."

Nagihiko didn't even bother checking this time.

"Now that I think about it, it's not going to be easy. From first glance, she just stared at me. I don't think it'll work out very well," Nagihiko said thoughtfully, fingering with his hair.

"Who said you weren't going to get any help?"

Nagihiko looked at his sister incredulously. "You mean you're going to help me with this?"

"Wasn't that just what I said?"

Nagihiko beamed. "Oh, I love you, sis!" he yelled happily, tackling his sister into a hug.

"Hey!" Nadeshiko protested. "Let me go! I'm the one who's supposed to glomp people!" She tried to pry Nagihiko off of her.

Nagihiko let her go, still smiling from ear to ear. "I can't wait till tomorrow when we get to school!"

Nadeshiko rolled her eyes at her brother's sudden change of mood. "Yeah, don't you have dance practice?"

Nagihiko's smile dropped from his face. "Oh yeah, I totally forgot! I've got to change, so get out of my room! I'm not letting you watch me take off my clothes!" He quickly shoved Nadeshiko out of their bedroom, and slammed the door shut.

Nadeshiko stared at the closed door, before deciding to leave, calling over her shoulder, "Yeah, you're welcome!"

**Read and Review! I might add Tadashiko in if you want me to.**


	3. Nagihiko Has Weird Hair

**I wrote the entire rough draft a few weeks ago at school. I focus on it only now. And school has ended. Uh huh.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Shugo Chara.**

At school, a few minutes before class was about to start, Nadeshiko, who sat behind Nagihiko in class, poked the latter with her sharpened pencil. "Nagihiko, Nagihiko, Nagihiko, Nagihiko, Nagihiko, Nagihiko, Nagihiko, Nagihiko, Nagihiko, Nagihiko, Nagihiko, Nagihiko-"

Nagihiko, standing it no longer, slammed his textbook down on his desk, and turned towards Nadeshiko with a rather forced smile on his face. "Yes, oh-so-lovely, not-at-all-annoying twin sister of mine?"

If Nadeshiko had heard the (obvious) sarcasm in her brother's voice, she certainly did not show it. "Mashiro-san's here."

Nagihiko glanced at the seat next to him, and sure enough, the little blonde was sitting in it (How could he not have noticed?). He turned back towards his sister. "And?"

Nadeshiko mentally facepalmed. "Remember what you said you were going to do…?

Nagihiko's face turned to one of realization. "Oh! That… I never said right away…"

Nadeshiko groaned. "Aw, come on! Don't tell me you're chickening out at the last minute?"

Nagihiko was about to shoot a retort back, but before he could, his attention was caught by two other girls in his class, Hinamori Amu and Yuiki Yaya, walking past him and stopping right in front of Rima's desk.

Amu, who apparently sensed Rima's cold behavior, looked at Yaya with a disbelieving look on her face, but Yaya either ignored it or simply didn't notice. She flashed a toothy grin at Rima, saying, "Hi, Rima-tan! I can call you that, right? Anyway, me and my bestie friend Amu-chi know that it's tough being new here, so do you want to hang out with us after school?"

Rima's eyes showed a spark of consent for a short second, but it immediately disappeared, resuming her expressionless character. "Thanks, but no thanks. I don't want to be friends with a girl who talks and acts like she's still in kindergarten," she answered coldly.

Yaya's eyes flashed with hurt, while Amu was looking at her with a conflicted look on her face, a mixture of sympathy and "I-told-you-so." Rima simply turned back to the book she was reading.

As Yaya was going back to her seat and Amu trailing after her, the twins cringed. If this was what they had to deal with, this plan wasn't going to go very well.

Nagihiko looked back at Nadeshiko with an uncomfortable look on his face. "Can't you…talk to her for me?"

Nadeshiko looked at her brother with a look of horror. "So you're just going to push all the work on me?"

"But you're good with dealing with people like her! I'm not! You saw what just happened! If she's going to treat me like that, I probably would isolate myself from the rest of this world! And-"

"Alright! I get it! I'll do it! But you're going to owe me one."

"Good. You're an awesome sister," Nagihiko smiled and turned back around, focusing his attention on the teacher walking into the classroom.

"Boys," Nadeshiko muttered to herself quietly.

* * *

><p>Passing period soon came. Rima was at her locker, frantically fishing for her math book. Once she finally grabbed hold of it, a few boys hurrying to get to class accidentally bumped into her, sending her to the ground. Not noticing, they continued on.<p>

Briefly giving dirty looks at the boys' retreating figures, Rima got up, brushed herself off, and proceeded to pick up her things.

"Need some help?"

Rima whirled around and saw a much taller girl with waist-length violet hair in a ponytail, tied up with a red ribbon. She had ocher eyes, which seemed to sparkle every now and then. If Rima wasn't so stubborn (towards other people and even to herself), she would've admitted in her mind that she was quite pretty. But all she did was shake her head no.

The girl smiled. "I'm Fujisaki Nadeshiko. I'm in your homeroom if you haven't noticed."

Oh, great. Another person trying to play nice. Although Rima was slightly grateful towards the girl for trying, she kept her composure. "You do seem familiar. Don't you sit behind that guy with the weird hair who sits next to me?"

Nadeshiko tried not to laugh at the way Rima addressed Nagihiko. "Yes I do. In fact, he's my twin brother."

Rima blinked. Of course they were, how could've she not guessed that? "Well that explains why you two have the same last name and why you look alike."

Nadeshiko breathed an inward sigh of relief. This girl wasn't as difficult as she thought. She decided to be forward, and asked, "Would you like to go to the movies this weekend? He and I are planning on going."

There it was, another invite. Rima narrowed her eyes. "What are you trying to do?"

"What?" Nadeshiko played innocent.

"This is what every person does. They try to be nice, they try to become friends with a person they have just met. But they never do consider the fact that maybe that person doesn't really want friends at all. Maybe that person just likes being isolated and alone. I know I do. I feel perfectly fine being friendless without anyone surrounding me."

Although Nadeshiko had known that there was a huge chance that Rima would refuse, she wasn't expecting her to say that she preferred no friends at all. She was about to say something, but at that moment, the bell rang.

Rima sighed. "Now I'm late for class. I got to go. See you." And with that, she ran off.

Nadeshiko herself knew that she needed to get to class soon. She wasn't really disappointed at their conversation, despite how it had ended, because she knew that there must have been something behind those last 2 words Rima had said.

* * *

><p>"…She said WHAT?"<p>

It was lunch, and Nadeshiko had just finished filling her brother in on what had happened between her and Rima. Nagihiko, who was clearly the one who had exclaimed the quote above, had a look of pure offense etched onto his face. "I do not have weird hair! She can't just go around saying stuff like that!"

Nadeshiko raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Oh? I think she can. And I'm not sure if you've noticed, but it's not everyday people see a guy with hair like yours."

Tadase, who was sitting next to the twins, snickered. Nagihiko shot him the death glare, and he immediately decided to continue snacking on his blueberry muffin, knowing exactly of what his good-but-slightly-temperamental friend can do when provoked.

Nagihiko turned back to his sister. "It takes a long time to grow hair this long! I already have to deal with that douchebag Kirishima! I don't want a female version of him!"

Nadeshiko giggled. "I don't exactly blame her. I would think your hair was weird too if I were her."

Tadase had to sink his teeth into his muffin to prevent himself from laughing again and having to deal with a furious Nagihiko.

"Ugh, THAT'S IT!" Nagihiko shouted. "When I see her, I am giving her a piece of my mind!" He stormed off, presumably to go find Rima.

Tadase and Nadeshiko stared at the empty seat where Nagihiko was sitting in a moment ago.

"Don't you think he overreacted just a tiny bit?"

"He can't help it. He's just so into her."

"Without a doubt."

"Maybe the two of us could act like a couple so he would get jealous that his sister got a lover before him and he could realize he likes her."

Nadeshiko looked at Tadase in surprise. "What?"

"Nothing." Tadase looked away, hiding a subtle blush.

…**Okay, I'm not going to say I'm entirely satisfied with this chapter, since I'm not. But it works. And I'm not the only one who thinks that the conversation between Nadeshiko and Tadase is kind of random and out of the blue, and what Tadase said at the end was kind of weird, right? But…it's a start.**

**And I made Nagihiko overreact in a comedic fashion. Kind of OOC, but hey, Nadeshiko kind of pwned him there.**

**R & R! **


	4. The Dreads of Stomach Flu

**Here's something I recommend you to read:**

**There is a scheme brewing up with the FanFiction staff and they're planning to take down any and every story over the M rated section (stories with yaoi, yuri, het lemons, song-based stories, extreme violence, etc). So on June 23rd, there will be an official blackout. Authors will not log in, read, or review stories. Those who do not have accounts are also affected by FF's decisions too. Please participate and spread the news. If enough authors take part in this event, FF will know we mean business. Thank you for your time.**

**So... Now about the story: I'm trying to update more frequently, but I'll probably fail at that. But I downloaded this app called Pages (which is what I'm using right now) so I could write even when I'm not on the computer. And I made a book cover, if you haven't noticed. :P**

**Disclaimer: Disclaimed. Now go away, stupid copyrights.**

"Honestly, I can't believe you would overreact like that."

It was after school, and the twins were walking home.

"She said my hair was weird! You know that's my pet peeve!" Nagihiko insisted. "Besides, I never found her."

Nadeshiko rolled her eyes with a bored expression on her face. "Whatever you say, brother. But next time, if you don't want her to go and say something like that behind your back again, I suggest you talk to her yourself instead of pushing the work onto your beloved sister."

"Tch. Beloved..."

Nadeshiko glared.

"Alright, I get it. I'll be the one to talk to her next time."

"Good. Do it tomorrow."

"WHAT?"

Nadeshiko glared once more. "You're doing it tomorrow, unless if you want me to get up in the middle of the night and put a pillow over your face. And believe me, I'm not going to stop until you stop twitching."

Nagihiko groaned. "Fine..."

* * *

><p>The next day soon came. Nadeshiko stared at the coughing Nagihiko in bed, while the elderly housekeeper took the thermometer out of his mouth. "Thirty-eight degrees... You have a fever, but you'll feel better in a couple of days. You can't go to school today like this. Just rest in bed. I'll be back with some blankets."<p>

"Thanks Baaya."

Baaya left the room.

"...So you're sick?"

Nagihiko just stared back at his sister. "Gee. I don't know. My stomach hurts, I have abnormal temperature, my throat feels like its about to burst, and I feel woozy, but that doesn't mean anything," he replied sarcastically.

"Seems like someone's touchy when he's down with a fever."

"That is so not true!"

"You're right... You're touchy all the time."

"Can you just go and leave me in peace?"

"Yeah, like I want to be here when I can easily catch your cold... See you in the afternoon. And once you recover and go back to school, you are definitely talking to her."

* * *

><p>"Hey Nadeshiko!" Tadase greeted at the lockers. "Where's your brother?"<p>

"Sick. He's got a slight case of stomach flu. He'll recover soon enough."

"Ouch. He's going to be pretty miserable like this."

"What are you talking about? It's just stomach flu."

* * *

><p>"BAAYA!" Nagihiko wailed in a very pained voice.<p>

Baaya came rushing into the room. "Yes, Master? What seems to be the problem?"

"I need to use the toilet! I can't hold it in!"

Oh no. Diarrhea. Baaya hurried and escorted Nagihiko to the bathroom. Once the latter slammed the door shut, the 65-year-old woman sighed. She knew that once the young boy was done, the bathroom would most likely stink for a week.

* * *

><p>"I'm just saying, one of the symptoms of stomach flu is diarrhea. I just get a feeling he's probably going to experience it, if he hasn't already."<p>

Nadeshiko groaned. "Just perfect. The bathroom's going to stink for a week now."

"Don't you have any scented candles or anything? I thought you did."

"We ran out. Thanks to TWO CERTAIN IDIOTS." Nadeshiko gave Tadase the I'm-talking-about-you look.

"Hey! We needed them for our science project!" Tadase defended him and Nagihiko.

"Right... What kind of science project needs a bunch of scented candles?"

"A science project that tests whether or not scented candles melt faster than regular candles," Tadase said proudly.

"Where'd you come up with that?"

"I don't know. We just wanted something creative, and the first idea we actually agreed on was that."

"...That's not creative."

"..."

* * *

><p>Nagihiko exited the bathroom, feeling much better than when he went in.<p>

"Baaya, I'm hungry..."

"It's only 10:00 AM, Master. You ate breakfast too."

"Well it's not in my stomach anymore. It's somewhere on its way to the sewer now."

* * *

><p>"You will work in trios on this lab assignment. I'll let you choose your own partners this time, but make sure you get the work done."<p>

All of the students went all around the room, pairing up with each other. Nadeshiko and Tadase automatically looked toward each other. They nodded, knowing exactly what the other was thinking. Their third partner would usually be Nagihiko, but he was obviously not at school today, so they went around, looking for someone who was alone.

Meanwhile, Rima had looked all around the room, contemplating on who to choose. She soon regretted that, now thinking it was probably better to just walk up to a random person and ask to be their partner, as everyone was much quicker than she had thought.

Nadeshiko spotted Rima by herself. Dragging Tadase along, she approached her.

"Mashiro-san, would you like to work with us? We need an extra partner."

It wasn't like she had a choice, was it? "Alright."

* * *

><p>"I don't want chicken soup," Nagihiko complained.<p>

Baaya sighed. "Master, it's one of the foods recommended for quick recovery from illness."

"But I hate chicken soup! It sickens me!"

Baaya sighed again. It was a long day.

* * *

><p>"'At what water temperature does yeast ferment the quickest: Ice, room temperature, warm, or boiling?'" Tadase read from the instructions. "I say boiling."<p>

Nadeshiko disagreed. "I say it's warm." Rima nodded in agreement.

"Fermentation is bubbling. Water bubbles when it's boiled."

"But yeast isn't water."

"Wanna bet?"

"Fine. If you're right, I'll take it back on what I said about your science project not being creative. If I'm right, you're owing me those scented candles."

"Deal."

Rima just looked puzzled. "What science project and what scented candles?"

Nadeshiko told her the story.

Rima blinked. "...She's right. That's not creative."

"I GET IT," Tadase snapped.

Nadeshiko giggled. "Looks like Nagihiko's not the only touchy one today..."

Rima turned towards her. "Speaking of him, where is he?"

"Home. He's got stomach flu."

"...You know he most likely had diarrhea by now, right?"

"I know. I've heard."

* * *

><p>"Hotori, you now owe me eight scented candles."<p>

Tadase was stunned. "I lost... I never lost a bet before..."

Nadeshiko was amused. "I haven't either, but clearly I'm the superior at betting out of the two of us."

Tadase was dismayed. "I was saving up my allowance though... Fine, I'll buy those stupid candles for you."

* * *

><p>"I'm home!" Nadeshiko called, carrying a box full of candles. "We got our candles back."<p>

Baaya smiled for the first time that day. She apparently also disapproved of the loss of their smelly supplies.

"Mistress, I suggest you put those candles in the restroom. Your brother had massive diarrhea this morning."

Nadeshiko smiled dryly. "I am honestly not surprised..." She went inside, and lighted one of the freshened candles.

"You got our candles back?"

Nadeshiko turned to see her brother standing in the doorway.

"Yeah... So how are you feeling?"

"Better than this morning. That's all I can say."

"That's good...'cause I don't want anymore diarrhea. It smelled like a stink bomb before I lighted this thing. And the smell hasn't vanished completely yet either," Nadeshiko teased.

"Blame the flu!"

* * *

><p>"...So you're sick?"<p>

Nadeshiko stared back at her brother. "...Yeah."

Nagihiko sighed. "I should've seen it coming. A twin tends to go down with the same illness once the other twin recovers."

"Can you just go now?" Nadeshiko snapped.

Nagihiko turned to go, but not before mimicking his sister, "Seems like someone's touchy when she's down with a fever."

"Just...remember about Mashiro-san," Nadeshiko hissed.

* * *

><p>"Hey Nagihiko! Where's your sister?"<p>

Nagihiko looked at Tadase. "Stomach flu."

"Oh... You know that one of the symptoms-"

"Tadase, I had stomach flu two days ago. Of course I know that diarrhea is highly possible, and it doesn't feel good either. Almost makes me feel sorry for her."

"Almost?"

"She's forcing me to talk to the newbie, and I'm sure I won't enjoy it."

* * *

><p>Nadeshiko suddenly felt a certain pain in her abdomen. Oh no, could it be...<p>

"BAAYA!"

* * *

><p>Nagihiko peered over at the girl sitting next to him, pretending to be actually reading a book.<p>

"What's your deal?"

"What?" Nagihiko asked, surprised.

"You're staring at me. Don't think I'm too stupid to notice the obvious."

"...Was it really that noticeable?"

"...You're dumb. I like your sister better."

"You can't make judgments like that! You only had like two conversations with her!"

"At least she's smart. She even tricked that Tadase guy to buy those scented candles for her. By the way, making a project on how they melt faster than regular candles is just stupid."

"SHE TOLD YOU?"

"Duh."

* * *

><p>"You had diarrhea, didn't you?"<p>

"Er...no?" Nadeshiko said uncertainly. "Why do you ask?"

"Because the bathroom actually started smelling like cinnamon after that entire candle was used up, but now there's a new smell, and it's not the good kind either."

"Like you're one to talk... So how'd it go with you-know-what?"

"...What?"

Nadeshiko decided to be patient, mostly because she didn't feel well enough to call her brother slow (even if he really was). "Mashiro-san."

"Oh... Um..."

Nadeshiko eyed him suspiciously. "Did you even talk to her?"

"I did! I'd just...rather forget about it."

Nadeshiko smiled, knowing Rima had said something that made him uncomfortable. "What'd she say?"

"She...said you were way smarter than me and how stupid the scented candle science project was... And I can't believe you told her about it!"

Nadeshiko's smile grew. "Both of those points are true."

"...If you weren't sick right now, I would strangle you."

**This...is the longest chapter yet (Nine pages with a whole bunch of line breaks...). o.o What's ironic is that I didn't plan this one out. I just started typing whatever came to my mind first. In other words, i was improvising everything. No exaggerating. And now, here is some fun (not) trivia about this chapter that you guys most likely don't care about:**

**1. I personally have no idea where that diarrhea running gag thing came from... o.o**

**2. What Nagihiko said about a twin getting sick after the other is true.**

**3. That whole yeast fermentation part... It's actually based on my biology class for summer school. We did that lab in class, and I'm basically Tadase in this situation. My other two friends picked warm water, and guess what, they were right. -_- The only differences are that there was no bet, we wrote down our hypotheses before the teacher excused us to go find partners, we were actually working in pairs but there had to be one group of three because there was an odd number of students (and that group happened to be my group), and we weren't talking about our science projects.**

**4. Despite Nagihiko's dislike of chicken soup, I myself love it. :P**

**I also changed the title of the third chapter, 'cause I didn't like it. Just to let you guys know.**

**I think I'll try replying to reviews in my author notes from now on.**

_**14AmyChan: **_

_**Touchy Nagihiko. ;P And yes, there will be more Amu and Yaya in the future. Thanks for the review! :)**_

_**rainbowmonkeycakes: **_

_**Thanks! Too bad he never found her. :P**_

_**crossdresserxevilchibi: Glad you liked that line. XD Thanks, and I just updated. :P**_

_**PurpleDancer123: Yes, he loves it. Hurr hurr. ;D **_

_**Yaya will appear again soon. ^^ **_

_**Weird hair. :P **_

_**That's an awesome idea. One thing though: She might actually do it on purpose. ;D **_

_**Nagihiko is so short-tempered. ._.**_

_**It's just a little Tadashiko thing I wanted to add in. :P**_

_**The next chapter has arrived. :D **_


	5. Possible Love Rivals

**I told you guys that I would fail at frequent updates, and I did. :P And in case you're wondering...yes, I changed my username.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Shugo Chara.**

It was safe to say that Nagihiko was in a bad mood. Nadeshiko, being the devil she was, was forcing him to get to know Rima better, at least until 'he was up to her level.'

He breathed in deeply. "So where do you come from?"

Without looking up from her classwork, Rima answered, "Not telling. You sound like a stalker."

Nagihiko's patience was gradually stretching thin. "How can that be stalker-like when you've obviously moved from there?"

"You just asked where I used to live, and then you're going to ask the address, and go there to see if I left behind any private-slash-personal belongings."

"You're extremely paranoid, you know that?"

"Yeah? So what?" Rima asked sharply.

Nagihiko managed to not show the surprise he felt at hearing Rima suddenly get all offended. "You can't just assume I'll do something like that without getting to know me first."

"Your sister said you would." Rima's calm facade returned as quickly as it had gone. Not that Nagihiko noticed. He was too busy glaring daggers behind him at Nadeshiko. The latter pretended not to notice.

He turned back towards Rima, with a slight frown. "You shouldn't believe anything she says about me."

"Oh, so what she said about you being her brother isn't true? What are you then, her pet fish?" Rima asked sarcastically.

"NO! Me being her brotheris one of the very few truths that comes out of her mouth. As much as I wish it wasn't."

Nadeshiko rolled her eyes, finally stepping into the conversation. "Wow, Nagihiko. That's hurtful."

Nagihiko shot her a look.

Rima finally glanced up at the twins. "You two are entertaining, but I'd rather have some peace and quiet, so I can _concentrate_." Her tone had an edge of annoyance when she spoke the last word.

Nadeshiko and Nagihiko had an exchange of looks - Nagihiko had a look of confusion, and Nadeshiko had a look of pure accusation.

* * *

><p>Lunchtime arrived, and the very first words out of Nadeshiko's mouth was, "You made her annoyed."<p>

Nagihiko turned towards his sister with visible disbelief. "Are you kidding me? You were involved in it as much as I was!"

"What are you talking about? You were the one who was talking to her."

"If you didn't go and make me look bad to her, I wouldn't have been whining about it to her!"

"You had the option to not whine at all."

Tadase looked back and forth between the two. A part of him was enjoying the humorous quarrel, while the rest (AKA his conscience) was telling him that he had the responsibility to break it up. And Tadase couldn't argue with his conscience either. He stepped in between the siblings.

"You guys, this isn't anything important. So Mashiro-san was slightly annoyed. It's not like she won't let it go soon."

Nagihiko rolled his eyes. "Except that it was me involved in it; she'll hold a grudge against me for it."

"I think you're overreacting."

"Open your eyes, Tadase. She's hated me ever since she laid eyes on me."

"Really, you're exaggerating. I wouldn't necessarily say she felt that way at first sight. Besides, 'hate' is a strong word."

"Then she must have strong feelings for me. And not the good kind," Nagihiko added on that last part before the other two could misunderstand and start teasing. "She likes Nadeshiko a whole lot better."

"Just because she likes me better doesn't mean that she actually likes me period," Nadeshiko finally started speaking. "I'm not saying she completely dislikes me, but she doesn't trust me at all. Her guard is still up."

"Well what do you propose we do, Miss Leader-Of-This-Entire-Situation?"

Nadeshiko glared at her brother before answering, "We'll just keep doing what we're doing now. Except this time, Nagihiko, please be more courteous."

"I was being courteous! I didn't say one bad thing to her!"

"Fine, let me rephrase that. Be more _sincere _and _likable_."

"Oh, so I'm not likable the way I am now?"

"No." Nadeshiko was very blunt when she gave her honest answer.

"...Tadase, am I likable?"

Tadase seemed to suddenly find the floor very interesting. "You know... Oh look, I found a penny! It's my lucky day!"

Nadeshiko looked smug, while Nagihiko just rolled his eyes. He stood up and started walking away. "Forget it. I'm just going to head to the classroom. I need to do some extra studying for math."

* * *

><p>Nagihiko trudged to his locker, only to notice someone already there waiting for him.<p>

Kirishima looked up. "I knew you would come sooner or later."

Nagihiko narrowed his eyes. "What do you want, Kirishima?"

"Look Fujisaki, I'm just here to tell you something. I saw you talking to the new girl today."

Nagihiko raised an eyebrow. "Yeah? So?"

Kirishima glared. "Just watch your back, 'cause if you even _think_ of getting close to her, you're going to wish you never did." And with that, he was gone.

Nagihiko just stood there, in the middle of processing what had just happened. He recalled what Tadase had said to him:

_"It turns out she's already caught the eye of many boys already. I overheard some of them, including Kirishima, talking about her throughout the day."_

Nagihiko knew that Kirishima wouldn't believe him if he told him that he wasn't really a suitor for Rima. But he couldn't exactly just sever all ties with her, mostly because of Nadeshiko.

The bell rang, signaling that lunch was over. Nagihiko snapped our of his thoughts and hurried to class. What he should do after that confrontation with Kirishima, he'll think about later.

**I would've uploaded this almost 2 weeks ago, but I only had my iPad with me, and the copy-and-paste thing confuses me. ._. Also, short chapter. I know. -.-'**

**R & R!**


	6. Kukai Sucks at Basketball

**This chapter is not going to center around Nagihiko, Rima, Tadase, or Nadeshiko. This will focus on the other characters, and it's going to be the debut of most of the characters who haven't appeared yet.**

**Disclaimer: I'm currently out of comedic ways to say the disclaimer, so... I don't own Shugo Chara.**

Kukai smiled at the sight of the girl he considered his little sister, as he arrived at the school courtyard. "Hey, Yaya!"

Yaya's eyes lit up when she heard him. "Kukai! I missed you! Amu, look! It's Kukai!"

Kukai's happy look disappeared to one of confusion. Did he just hear right? "Yaya... Did you just talk in first-person? And you didn't add '-chi' to Amu's name either..."

"Something happened, Kukai. She doesn't like to talk about it..." Amu whispered to Kukai, as she came over.

"Oh! Pretend I never said that, Yaya! Though I guess it's about time someone yelled at you because of the way you talk! ...Or the way you used to talk."

Amu groaned and slapped her forehead. Yaya just smiled a forced smile.

"It's okay, Amu! I really needed to start talking maturely anyway..."

"Yaya..." Amu said, concerned.

The moment was ruined when a pigtailed blonde came along and smashed her fist onto Kukai's head. The boy fell to the ground, holding his head in pain.

"Utau-chi!" Yaya shouted, overjoyed.

Amu smiled. "It's been a while."

Utau gave a small smile back, and pushed one foot down on Kukai's head. "It's good to see you two again. All I had to keep me company during my tour was this idiot right here." She narrowed her eyes at Kukai, who was trying his hardest to get out from under her foot.

"Utau, let the poor guy go. It's not his fault he's an idiot." A blue-haired high school senior approached the group, his hands stuffed casually in his pockets, carrying a violin case on his back.

"But Ikuto! He promised that he would pay for the ramen if he lost the contest! Of course, he ended up losing, but he ran off, so I was the one who had to pay!" Utau protested to her brother, finally stepping off of Kukai.

"That was because I thought I'd win for sure this time! I wasn't carrying my wallet around, so I had no money!" Kukai explained, rubbing his head while getting up.

"THEN DON'T MAKE CARELESS BETS LIKE THAT! IDIOT!" Utau yelled, once again braining Kukai. The latter collapsed to the ground again.

"So I heard something about Yaya and talking maturely," Ikuto nonchalantly began, ignoring his sister and her moronic boyfriend.

Yaya sighed. "There's a new student in me and Amu's class, and she said the way I talk is dumb."

Kukai, having recovered from the wrath of Utau, winced. He knew how sensitive Yaya could be, especially when it had something to do with her babyish nature.

"So?" Utau shrugged. "_You _do what _you _want. It doesn't matter what others think. It's the same thing with me and singing. Some people like my voice, yet some don't."

Ikuto nodded. "She has a point, you know."

Yaya grinned. "Thanks guys, but I'm not so sure..."

"Who is this new girl anyway?" Kukai asked suddenly.

"Her name's Mashiro Rima," Amu spoke up.

"Oh!" Kukai's face lit up. "That girl I saw earlier who was surrounded by a bunch of guys! They were all shouting something like, 'RIMA-SAMA!' and stuff."

Amu nodded. "Yup, that's her. The only people I know who actually try to befriend her are the Fujisaki twins and Hotori Tadase-kun."

"Didn't you have a crush on Tadase a few years ago?" Utau questioned.

Amu blushed. "I'm over him now!"

Ikuto grinned. "Yup. She likes me now."

"I NEVER SAID THAT, YOU CREEP!" Amu screamed at him.

Ikuto's grin grew wider. "So? You don't have to say it. It's written all over your face."

"ARRRGGGHHH!"

"Hey, knock it off, you two!" Utau commanded. "Quit acting like a married couple!"

"Don't you and Kukai act like a married couple?" Ikuto countered.

"We do not," Utau replied haughtily. "We're just competitors in ramen-eating."

"That are dating," Ikuto added.

"That too."

Kukai smiled. "I'm glad Ikuto's over his little-sister complex." He shuddered. "That was torture, man."

"Who said I'm over it? I only accepted your relationship with Utau," Ikuto glared.

Kukai mentally gulped.

"So you said the Fujisaki twins are trying to be nice to Mashiro, right?" Ikuto asked, pleased that he had scared his possible future brother-in-law.

"Yeah, Nadeshiko and Nagihiko. I've never talked to them before, but I've heard that Nadeshiko often travels abroad to perform in dance recitals," Amu explained.

"I've seen one of them before," Utau said. "I'll admit that it was impressive, but it's not my type of favored dance. What about her brother?"

"Neither me nor Yaya know a lot about her brother... It's as if he's living in her shadow. He's not as popular as she is, and I think the reason why he doesn't travel along with his sister is because he's not as good of a dancer as she is," Amu answered tentatively.

"Fujisaki – I know him. I trained him into sports," Kukai informed. "I kinda don't wanna say this, but he's beaten me at basketball."

"About time someone exceeds you in something sports-related," Utau grumbled.

Kukai frowned, though no one noticed.

"I remember being jealous of Nadeshiko before since she was so close to Tadase-kun," Amu admitted.

"Of course," Utau sighed.

"Yaya, you've been pretty quiet for the past few minutes," Kukai observed.

"Huh? Oh!" Yaya turned back to Kukai. "Sorry. I was just watching those three." She pointed to two certain twins talking to a certain former crush of Amu's in the distance.

"Speak of the devil," Utau muttered.

"I'm gonna go challenge Fujisaki to a basketball match to prove to my girlfriend that HE DOES NOT EXCEED ME!" Kukai yelled as he walked over to where Nagihiko was.

"He sucks at basketball," Utau said once Kukai was out of hearing range.

"He once aimed for the hoop but accidentally hit me in the head instead..." Yaya trailed off.

"What an idiot," Ikuto and Utau said in unison.

**OMG I CANNOT BELIEVE THAT THIS TOOK ME SO LONG TO WRITE. IT WAS SAVED IN MY COMPUTER FOR OVER A MONTH AND I ONLY FINISH THIS NOW. I'M A HORRIBLE PERSON. -A-**

**Okay, I've calmed down. Just a little short filler chapter guys, so I don't have to worry about introducing Ikuto, Kukai or Utau later on. Obviously Kairi has yet to appear, but still...**

**Review!**


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